Stars Will Guide Us Home
by gxssipxogirl
Summary: "So open your eyes and see the way our horizons meet, and all of the lights will lead into the night with me, and I know these stars will bleed but both of our hearts believe all of these stars will guide us home." What if Rayna told Deacon about Maddie all of those years ago? Will this little star finally bring them back together, forever? An AU story.
1. Chapter 1

Rayna felt her heart drop to her feet when she saw the stick turn blue. She didn't think she was _actually_ pregnant, she thought it was just stress from the tour starting in a few weeks. She didn't want to believe she was pregnant; she couldn't me. She and Teddy were at no point in their relationship to raise a baby.

But this wasn't Teddy's baby. Rayna didn't need a paternity test to figure that out-this is Deacon's baby. Every bone in her body was telling her this is a Claybourne.

The problem was Deacon was in rehab, for the fifth time. He wasn't exactly in a position to be a father right now. But she couldn't very well tell Teddy she slept with the very man he saved her from while they were involved.

Teddy was coming by later to take her out, it was something they did every Thursday; maybe she'd tell him then. She knew his reaction wouldn't be positive, but he's a good guy and if anything, he'll give her money. She couldn't imagine him sticking around and raising a Claybourne baby, but crazier things have happened.

Rayna blew out a breath and tried to forget that she was _actually_ pregnant with Deacon Claybourne's baby.

 **XXX**

Rayna popped up off of the couch when she heard the knock on the door to her apartment. This pregnancy was stealing all of her energy, and she found herself taking multiple naps a day. Today was no exception; she already slept four times and it was barely four o' clock.

She swung around on the couch and stoop up, yawning and scratching her head as she walked over to the door. When she opened the door she gasped, confused as to why the person on the other side was there.

"Teddy? What are you doing here? We don't have a reservation until seven."

"I know, but I figured we'd spend some time in private before we go out to dinner."

Rayna nodded slowly and looked down at what was in Teddy's hand. "What is that?"

Teddy looked down at his hand before lifting it up and showing her the pile of papers. "Oh, I picked up your mail, I hope you don't mind." He reached out and handed it to her, and Rayna took it cautiously.

She slipped through the bills and junk mail before stopping at one without a return address on it. She pulled it out slowly and flipped it around, opening the creamy white envelope and pulling out the note that was inside.

As she read the note, she felt her heart sink to her stomach. It was from Deacon, inviting her to a family day at the center he was at. She swallowed hard and cleared her throat, looking up at Teddy with a slight smile.

"What was that?" Teddy asked.

Rayna shook her head and shrugged. "Nothin', just another bill." She said quietly, gesturing for Teddy to come in and sit down as she shut the door behind him and followed him into the living room.

"So how have you been? Sorry I haven't called, I've been busy." Teddy asked as he sat down on the couch, Rayna following behind him and blowing out a breath.

"I'm pregnant." She blurted out, to which Teddy gasped.

"Seriously?" Teddy asked, and Rayna nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I took a test this morning. I'm having a baby."

Teddy smiled slightly. "Seriously? We're going to be parents?"

Rayna sighed. "Well, that's the thing-I don't think you're the father. In fact I'm almost certain you're not."

"What? Who would be?" Rayna looked down at her hands and blinked away the tears, and Teddy gasped. "Deacon?"

Rayna nodded slowly and looked up, tears dotting her eyes. "Yeah," she whispered, "I'm pretty sure it's Deacon's."

Teddy swallowed hard and blew out a breath, hidden rage in his eyes. "I can't-when did you-how did this happen?"

Rayna shook her head. "It doesn't matter, Teddy."

"Tell me, Rayna. Tell me how you _cheated_ on me."

"I didn't-it's a long story, Teddy, that doesn't matter. I already hurt you, I don't need to hurt you anymore."

Teddy bit the inside of his cheek and looked away from Rayna before turning back to her, grabbing her hands and smiling. "You're right, it doesn't matter. Let's get married."

Rayna's jaw dropped. "What? Seriously?"

Teddy nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah. I can take care of you and the baby, raise it like my own, and Deacon will never have to know. We can be a family."

"It's not that simple." Rayna shook her head. "Deacon deserves to know." _Did he? Was he father material like she always thought he was?_

"Does he deserve to know? Do you want him to put that child through what he put you through? You want to bring a helpless child into a world like that?"

"Maybe a baby will help him. He's getting better, maybe a child-his child-will keep him that way." Rayna said softly, trying to convince herself more than anyone else.

"You really believe that, Rayna? How many times have you told yourself he's getting better? After he's been in rehab five times?" Teddy stood up off the couch forcefully and stared down at Rayna, a look in his eyes she's never seen before: rage.

"I don't really know _what_ I believe, Teddy; I just know I can't marry you when I'm pregnant with another man's baby. That doesn't feel right." Rayna swallowed hard and stood up. "I think you should go."

"We have a reservation, Rayna."

Rayna shook her head. "Not anymore. Please leave, I need some time." She said quietly, gesturing toward the door for Teddy to leave.

Teddy looked at her to confirm she was actually kicking him out before he turned on his heel and stormed toward the door. He grabbed the handle and looked over at her, swallowing hard. "Please think about it, Rayna. I love you so much."

"I love you, too," Rayna whispered and nodded as Teddy walked out the door of her apartment, unsure if that was 100% true and doubtful she'd think about his offer.

Rayna knew what she wanted, she just hoped Deacon wanted the same thing. The least she could do is tell him.

 **XXX**

Rayna blew out a slow breath as she looked up at the building Deacon was in, preparing herself for what she would witness when she walked in there. The last time she was here was a month-and-a-half ago, when she was first admitting him into the center. She swallowed hard and unbuckled her seatbelt, preparing for the worst.

She closed the car door and threw her keys in her purse, exhaling again before willing herself to walk into the building to face Deacon once again.

When she walked through the door, the sights and smells hit her like a semi-truck. It reeked of vomit and sweat, and it looked more like someone's home than a rehabilition facility. Rayna choked back puke, the smell was so vile.

Rayna walked down the long corridor before getting to a sign that read "Riverside Family Day: This way" with an arrow pointing to the left. She nodded and turned left, heading down the dark hallway toward the noisy room at the end.

She saw someone walk out of the room, looking they were on a mission, and her face lit up when she saw who it was. He must've noticed, because a huge smile came to his face and he took off on a brisk walk toward her.

"Hey, baby," Deacon exclaimed, opening his arms and enveloping her in them, picking her up and spinning her around twice before setting her down and planting a big kiss to her mouth. "I'm so glad you came."

"I wouldn't miss it for anything," Rayna said quietly.

That wasn't _completely_ true; she was so sick this morning, she battled the idea of missing. She needed to see Deacon, though.

"You look beautiful, Ray. Even more beautiful than I remember. Not that I forgot how beautiful you are." Deacon said, placing his hands on her hips and looking her up and down.

It was trued-the last time Deacon saw her, she was exhausted and upset, no doubt because of him. Now she was glowing and her hair was redder than it had ever been-once again because of him. At least, she was 95% sure it was because of him.

"Are you hungry or thirsty, darlin'? There's all kinds of crackers and cheese and soda and water. I think they thought more people were going to show up to this thing or something."

Rayna pushed away any thoughts of food, as a simple thought could send her to the bathroom vomiting.

She shook her head rapidly, swallowing hard. "No, I'm okay, I ate before I came." If saltines and ginger ale counted as a meal then yes, she ate.

Deacon nodded. "Oh, okay. I can take you on a tour, maybe? Show you my room?" He wiggled his eyebrows and smiled suggestively, and Rayna giggled.

"That sounds like a great idea. Maybe we can go somewhere to talk? I have so much to tell you." Rayna suggested, and Deacon nodded.

"Of course, baby. There's a lounge that nobody uses; we can talk there." Deacon grabbed her hand and led her down the hallway toward the lounge in a far corner of the center.

Rayna was going to tell him, she wanted to so bad, but there was something about him that told her he was still struggling. She didn't want to be the cause of him falling off the wagon, again.

"So what did you have to tell me, baby? I'm sorry I've been talking so much, I just missed you so much." Deacon had the biggest smile on his face, and Rayna just shook her head.

"Nothing, I forgot. You seem so happy." Rayna smiled. "I'm so glad to see you so happy."

Deacon nodded. "I am happy. This place is really helping me. I should've never doubted you."

Rayna shook her head. "No, it's okay. You're getting better now, and that's all I wanted." She swallowed hard, trying to keep the tears away. "I have to go, tour rehearsal. It was so good to see you, babe."

Deacon nodded. "Oh, okay. Do you want me to walk you out?'

Rayna shook her head. "No, I can find my way. I'll see you soon, thanks for inviting me." Her voice broke as she stood up, turning on her heel and walking out of the room, tears flowing as she walked out to her car.

 **XXX**


	2. Chapter 2

"So what is this I hear about you rejecting Teddy's proposal?"

Rayna rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I didn't reject him, I just said we weren't in a position to get married right now."

Rayna's older sister Tandy dropped the shirt that was in her hand and gasped. "Not in a pos-Rayna, you're having a baby with the man!"

Rayna swallowed hard and looked down at her bed, picking at the comforter below her. "Yeah, that's not _exactly_ true." She looked up at Tandy, who just looked confused.

The two of them just looked at each other before the realization finally hit Tandy, and she gasped loudly.

"No!" Tandy exclaimed, and Rayna nodded slowly. "You did no-how?"

Rayna shook her head, swallowing hard. "That doesn't matter, Tandy. What matters is that this is probably Deacon's baby."

Tandy shook her head and ran her hand through her thick red hair. "I can't believe-does he know?"

Rayna's silence told Tandy what she needed to know, and she blew out a breath as she sat down on her sister's bed. "Poor Teddy. This must've been so embarrassing."

"Poor Teddy?" Rayna exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest. "You feel bad for _him_ in this situation?"

Tandy nodded her head rapidly. "Yes, actually, because his girlfriend was stupid enough to cheat on him and get knocked up by the drunk she was trying to get away from! How could you be so reckless? Teddy loves you, let him help you!"

Rayna shook her head. "No, what's stupid is not being able to tell the father of my child, who's currently in rehab! What's _stupid,_ Tandy, is asking your girlfriend to marry you to make her keep that from him! If he really loved me, he'd respect my decision to do what I think is right for _my_ child. Right now I'm trying to figure that out." She said quietly, trying not to cry.

Tandy stood up off of Rayna's bed, walking over to her little sister and grabbing her hands. "You're right, I'm sorry. Nobody but you knows what's best, and I shouldn't get in the way of that. It's your life, your baby. I just want you to be happy-you're my baby sister." Tandy said, and Rayna smiled slightly.

"Now, where were we?" Tandy asked, reaching for a shirt on Rayna's bed, and Rayna smiled at her sister before returning to her previous task.

 **XXX**

Rayna opened the door and smiled softly at the person on the other side.

"Hey, Teddy. Thank you for coming over." She stepped aside and let Teddy walk into her apartment.

"To be honest, I didn't want to. After all, you did reject me."

Rayna rolled her eyes and closed the door, following Teddy into the living room. "I didn't _reject you_ , Teddy. I told you I'd think about it."

"It's been a week, Rayna; you have to have an answer by now."

Rayna nodded her head slowly. "I do." She swallowed hard and mentally prepared herself for the thing she was about to say.

"I can't marry you. I want to, but it doesn't feel right being pregnant with another man's baby. I love you, but I can't marry you. I'm sorry."

Teddy nodded slowly, crossing his arms over his chest. "You can't marry me, because you'd rather be with a drunk who-"

"That's not what I said. I don't want to be with Deacon, but I can't very well keep his child from his. I'm sorry, Teddy; I never wanted to hurt you." Rayna said, reaching for his hands, but Teddy stepped backward.

"Well, you did. I hope you know what you're doing, Rayna." Teddy uncrossed his arms and swallowed hard. "I'll see myself out." He said, turning and walking forcefull toward the door, opening it and slamming it shut, making Rayna jump.

Rayna exhaled deeply and sat down on the couch, burying her head in her hands. She wanted to feel sad, but she didn't. She mostly felt scared, because this meant she had to tell Deacon.

She had to tell Deacon. She just didn't know how.

 **XXX**

Rayna swallowed hard as she walked into the treatment center, and she jumped when the woman at the front desk greeted her with a "hi!" that was too peppy for her this early in the morning.

"How are you this morning? Can I help you with something?" The woman, Rayna noticed her name was Lizzie, asked her.

Rayna nodded and walked over to the big desk, leaning on it slightly. "Yes, actually; I'm looking for Deac-"

"Deacon Claybourne, of course! You must be Rayna! He talks about you all the time-he's going to be so happy you came back around!" Lizzie stood up from her chair and pointed to her left.

"Just head straight down that hallway, turn left at the end, and it'll be the third door on your left." She looked back at Rayna and smiled. "He's going to be overjoyed to see you."

Rayna nodded and smiled slightly. _Lord, I hope so._ "Thank you." She said aloud before heading down the hallway, trying to calm her racing heart as she followed Lizzie's directions to get to Deacon.

When she got to the door Lizzie told her was Deacon's, she reached up and exhaled before knocking twice.

"I know, I know, the door's not supposed to be closed, I was ju-Rayna! Baby, what are you doing here?" Deacon asked, leaning forward to pull Rayna into a hug.

"I had to see you." Rayna pulled away from Deacon. "I didn't get to tell you what I wanted to last time I was here."

Deacon nodded. "Of course. Do you want to come in or go somewhere to talk? If you come in, I'll probably get in trouble for having the door closed again." He winked, and Rayna shrugged.

"Why don't we go for a walk? I could go for something to drink." Rayna suggested.

Deacon smiled. "Of course! We'll get some water and we can go sit out on the patio. It's a little chilly but I can give you a jacket." Rayna nodded and smiled, waiting for Deacon to grab another jacket from his closet before walking out of his room and leading her down the hallway.

When he got to the front desk, he warned Lizzie where they were going, and Rayna smiled slightly at her. When the two of them got outside, the wind hit Rayna's body, and she crossed her arms over her chest. Deacon noticed and stepped over to her, wrapping the coat around her shoulders. She smiled up at him and he placed his hand on her lower back, leading her over to the table.

Rayna sat down and her heart jumped to her throat, because there was two ways this was probably going to go: he'll be thrilled and work extra hard to get out and be a father, or he'll be pissed and scared, never wanting to talk to Rayna again. She hoped for the former, but she couldn't predict the future.

"So what did you want to tell me? I'm sorry I didn't let you last time, I was just so excited to see you." Deacon smiled broadly, leaning forward to grab her hands.

Rayna swallowed hard and glanced down at their joined hands before looking back up at Deacon. _It's now or never._

"I'm pregnant, and I'm not going to sugarcoat it." She blurted out, and Deacon let go of her hands, his jaw dropped.

"You-with Teddy? And you're telling me this why?"

Rayna shook her head. "No, not with Teddy..." she said quietly, waiting for Deacon to catch on.

When he finally figured it out, his eyes widened and he looked down at her lower belly before looking back at her face. "Mine?" He whispered, and Rayna nodded. "Seriously?"

Rayna nodded. "Yeah, babe; it's yours." She smiled slightly, and Deacon sighed.

"It's-you're-I'm gonna be a daddy?" Deacon asked. "That's my baby?"

"That's _our_ baby, Deacon. We're going to be parents."

Deacon's smile quickly faded, and he stood up out of the chair, exhaling and running his hand over his face, pacing back and forth. "Why did you tell me now, here? While I'm in rehab?"

Rayna looked at him, confused. "What do you mean? Because if I wouldn't have told you, Teddy would've made me marry him and let him have the baby!"

"Maybe you should've let him. I mean, come on, Rayna-I'm in rehab! Not for the first time, either. I'm not fit to be a father, Ray."

Rayna shook her head and stood up, walking over to Deacon. "No, I shouldn't have done that, Deacon. This is _your_ baby. I don't want to have it with anyone but you."

Deacon sighed. "I don't know, Rayna. I don't think I can put a baby through what I put you through. It nearly killed me seeing you in that much pain."

Rayna reached up and placed her hand on Deacon's cheek, but he just shrugged away from her. "Deacon, babe, come on now."

"No, Rayna," Deacon shook his head. "I'm so thrilled that you're having my baby, but I can't do this right now. Not in here. I think you should go."

"Deacon-"

"Rayna. Go. Please."

Rayna nodded slowly, swallowing back the tears as she kissed Deacon's cheek before turning on her heel and walking back toward the door, his jacket still around her shoulders.

Deacon choked on a sob as he watched her walk away once again. This time, however, he wasn't sure if she was coming back. He didn't know if she should.

 **XXX**


	3. Chapter 3

"Rayna?"

Rayna picked her head up from the magazine she was reading and smiled at the doctor that was standing in the lobby. She set it down on the table in front of her, standing up and adjusting her clothing as she walked over to the doctor.

"How are you feeling today, dear?" The doctor asked as she gestured for Rayna to go into a room.

"Pretty good, actually. The morning sickness is gone for the most part, I'm just really tired. I've never napped more than I have these last few weeks." Rayna walked over to the exam table and sat down.

The doctor laughed and pushed Rayna to lay down, and she did.

"That's perfectly normal. Growing a human isn't a walk in the park." The doctor, Dr. Schember, turned the lights off and grabbed the stool, wheeling it over to sit next to Rayna. "Let's look at this little angel, shall we?"

Rayna nodded and turned her head to look at the screen. She smiled when she saw a picture pop up, and Dr. Schember gasped.

"Well, everything looks wonderful, Rayna." The doctor smiled up at Rayna. "What about daddy? Is he excited?"

Rayna sighed and shook her head. "He might be. I don't know, it's complicated right now." She swallowed hard, and the doctor nodded understandably.

"Oh, honey, you're definitely not the first mama to come in here in a complicated situation. Does he at least know?"

Rayna nodded, smiling slightly. "Yes, he does. I'm glad I decided to tell him."

Just then, a loud thumping filled the room, and Rayna gasped, tears immediately filling her eyes "And there's your baby, Rayna. It sounds beautiful and perfectly healthy."

Rayna blinked away the tears and exhaled, giggling softly. "That's my baby. That's _our_ baby." She said quietly. _Deacon should be here._

She needed to talk to Deacon, to convince him he's father material. If not for her, than for the baby. He needed to know how amazing he really was.

 **XXX**

Rayna smiled slightly as she saw Deacon walking toward her, his sponsor Coleman Carlisle not far behind him. Deacon noded in Cole's direction, letting him know it was okay for him to stay behind. Coleman mouthed something to him and patted his back before Deacon made his way over to Rayna.

"Thank you for meeting me," Rayna said softly, and Deacon nodded.

"Of course," Deacon said, pulling the redhead into a gentle hug. They hugged for a bit before pulling away and walking over to the picnic table in the middle of the lawn.

When they sat down, the two of them sat in a comfortable silence, looking across the grass into the distance at the cars, bikes, and people on the street. Rayna looked over at Deacon, who had a faraway look in his eyes, and she turned her body to face him.

"Deacon," she said, and he turned to look at her. "Talk to me."

Deacon sighed and shook his head. "I don't know what you want me to say, Rayna. I don't know if _I_ know what to say."

"Just tell me how you feel, what you think. I know something's running through that creative mind of yours." Rayna placed her hand on top of his on the picnic table, and Deacon groaned.

"I'm just scared, and confused. But I want to be thrilled. I mean, damn it Rayna, that's my baby. _Our_ baby. I'm just not in the right place to be a daddy right now. No matter how much I want this." He swallowed hard, running his free hand over his face and through his hair.

Rayna scooted closer to him, placing her hand on his cheek. "Then let's work to _get_ you to that place. Babe, I've wanted nothing more than to have a family with you for the past eleven years, and we finally have that opportunity. It's messy, and complicated, but you're going to be a daddy, and I don't want to keep you from that." She exhaled, running her thumb along cheek. "It'll kill me."

Deacon pulled away from Rayna and shook his head. "You have no idea how bad I want this with you, Ray. I've been working my ass off to be with you again, but how do you know I won't hurt you, or the baby, again? You said it best: I don't know how to stay sober."

Rayna shook her head. "But you _do_ know how to love. I've seen you with Scarlett, you've been loving me these past eleven years, I can't imagine how much you'll love a baby. You will be the best father this baby could want." Deacon sighed and Rayna swallowed hard. "Come on, babe. I know you can do this." She said quietly.

Deacon looked over at her, and Rayna practically combusted at the look in his eyes.

"You really trust me that much? After everything I've done to you?"

Rayna nodded and smiled slightly. "I've never trusted you more than I do right now. I believe in you."

Deacon chuckled and shook his head. "Okay, I'll do it. For my family."

The word that came out of his mouth made Rayna's heart swell, and she leaned forward as he kissed her forehead and settled into his arms.

It was going to be messy, and complicated, and they had a lot to figure out, but they were raising their baby together, and that's all either one of them has ever wanted.

 **XXX**


	4. Chapter 4

"So, Daddy asked me about you."

Rayna whipped her head around and looked at her sister sitting next to her on the couch. "He did, did he?" It was more of a statement than a question.

Tandy nodded. "Yeah. He asked how the baby is, how you're feeling."

Rayna mock-gasped, placing her hand on her chest. "Wow, my dad actually cares about me? It's because I'm giving him a grandchild, right?"

Tandy shrugged. "He's actually a decent person, Rayna. He _does_ care about you." Rayna scoffed. "He asked about you and Teddy."

"And _there's_ the kicker." Rayna nodded slowly. "Let me guess: he's just as upset as you are that I'm choosing to raise my child with her father." Rayna glared at Tandy before turning to look straight ahead, nursing her bottle of water.

"I never said I was upset, I said it's your life and you know what's best. That's your baby, not mine." Tandy threw her hands up in defense, and Rayna shook her head and looked back at her older sister.

"Oh please, Tandy; Teddy was your pride and joy. You wanted nothing more than for me to end up with him and forget about Deacon forever." Rayna shrugged. "Too bad for both of you, Deacon knows, and he's willing to work to get better and stay better. He's going to be a father to our baby."

Rayna didn't know where all this rage was suddenly coming from, probably hormones, or it could've been the mention of her father, but she suddenly felt like crying and really wanted to see Deacon.

"I have somewhere I need to be." Rayna said suddenly, nodding toward the door. "I'll call you later."

Rayna watched Tandy gather her things and walk out of the apartment before she grabbed the picture on the coffee table and stuffed it in her purse. She stood up off of the couch, grabbing her keys and heading out the door to make her way to Deacon.

 **XXX**

"Hey, darlin'. Damn, you look beautiful." Deacon said, looking Rayna up and down before engulfing her into a hug, inhaling deeply. Rayna relaxed into his arms and they hugged tightly before Rayna pulled away and looked up at Deacon.

"So I have something for you. You wanna see it?" Rayna smiled mischieviously and Deacon grinned.

"Oh you do?" He gave Rayna a look she knew too well, and she giggled and shook her head.

"Not like that." Rayna looked around the hallway before looking back at Deacon. "Can we go somewhere private?"

Deacon gasped before nodding his head. "Yeah, of course. We can go out back. It's beautiful outside today." Rayna nodded and Deacon placed his hand on the small of her back, leading her to the place she told him she was pregnant just three weeks prior.

When they sat down at the patio table, Deacon turned to look at her and he instantly smiled. "I didn't think you could get more beautiful but damn, was I wrong." Rayna giggled and blushed, looking down at her legs.

"How are you feeling? Have you been sick?" Deacon asked, an overwhelming amount of concern in his eyes.

Rayna shook her head and shrugged. "Not really. Certain foods set it off for me, but it's not everyday anymore. Now I'm just tired all the time. I never knew growing a human being could be so exhausting." She chuckled and placed her hand on her still-tiny lower abdomen.

"If that little peanut is anything like me, we'll be in for a wild ride, huh?" Deacon asked with a smile, and Rayna nodded. "So what did you have to show me?"

Rayna nodded and reached into her purse, pulling out the black and white picture and holding it up to him. Deacon gasped when he saw it, and Rayna smiled slightly.

"There's your baby."

Deacon reached out and grabbed the picture, looking at it as tears filled his eyes. "That's my baby. Our baby." He chuckled and blew out a breath. "We made that."

Rayna nodded and giggled. "We did." Deacon tried to hand the picture back to her, but she shook her head. "Keep it. I have one at my place." Deacon nodded and put the picture in his jacket pocket before sliding off of the chair and crouching down in front of Rayna.

He leaned forward like he was going to kiss her belly, but he knew things were weird between them and he didn't want to push it. He looked up at Rayna as if to ask permission, and Rayna nodded slowly.

Deacon placed his hands on Rayna's hips, leaning forward and placing kisses along Rayna's abdomen. "Hi, peanut. It's your daddy. I already love you more than I can say. Your mama and I are going to do everything we can to protect you from the world."

Rayna smiled and blinked away the tears as Deacon stood back up, offering his hand to help Rayna off of the chair. She looked up at him, her eyes twinkling, and he exhaled sharply.

"Thank you for bringing that by. It makes everything seem so real now." Deacon sighed and nodded slowly. "I'm gonna keep this picture forever."

Rayna giggled. "I hope so. That's your baby."

 _"Our_ baby. We're going to be parents." Deacon breathed out.

The two of them stayed in a comfortable silence before Rayna exhaled and looked up at Deacon.

"I should probably get going. I have to meet Bucky to go over tour placs now that I'm...you know." Rayna gestured to her stomach, and Deacon nodded rapidly.

"Oh, yeah, of course. Go have your meeting." Deacon said before pulling Rayna into a hug. "Thank you for coming to see me. I know you're busy."

Rayna shook her head against Deacon's chest. "I'm never too busy to see you, babe." He kissed the top of her head before she pulled away and smiled up at him. "It was good to see you, you look good."

Deacon nodded and smiled. "I feel good. I'm doing it for you and Peanut." He sighed. "Go on and take care of business or I'll never let you leave." Rayna giggled. "I'll see you soon."

Rayna nodded and pulled away, forcing her legs to carry her away from Deacon and to her car. She swallowed hard and blew out a breath, trying not to cry as she left Deacon once again.

 **XXX**

"Daddy," Rayna said breathlessly when she saw who was on the other side of the apartment door.

"Rayna. It's good to see you." Lamar Wyatt nodded at his daughter. "You look good."

"Thank you." Rayna said, placing her hand on top of her stomach self-conciously.

"You're not going to invite your old man in?" Lamar said and chuckled, and Rayna gave him a fake smile and stepped aside to let her father in.

"Nice place you have here. Cozy." Lamar looked around the apartment room and Rayna nodded her head slowly.

"Why are you here, daddy? I know you've been talking to Tandy." Rayna glared at him and Lamar threw his hands up in defense.

"You're pregnant with my grandchild, Rayna. I just want to make sure you're well and taken care of." Lamar said passively, and Rayna scoffed and shook her head.

"You want to know why I dumped Teddy. I'm not stupid, daddy."

Lamar shrugged. "I don't know, the way you're handling this situation makes me think that you are."

Rayna gasped and placed her hands over her stomach protectively. "This is Deacon's baby, and like it or not he knows. He's working hard and he's going to get better. For both of us. He wants to be a father."

Rayna's dad scoffed and shook his head, stepping dangerously close to Rayna. "How many times have you told yourself that, Rayna? How many times has he disappointed you? He's not good enough for you, Rayna. Call Teddy, get him back. He'll take care of you and that baby."

Rayna shook her head. "I don't want that. I want Deacon. I want a family with him." She looked down at her feet and swallowed hard. "I'm sorry you don't approve."

Lamar shook his head and sighed. "Can't say I'm surprised-you've never been one to obey me." He stared directly at Rayna for what felt like ever before swallowing hard.

"Do whatever you want, Rayna. It's your life, your child. I'm done trying to parent you." Lamar said coldly, turning on his heel and stalking out of the house, slamming the door behind him and making Rayna jump.

She wanted to cry, or maybe be a little upset, but she wasn't. She hadn't followed her father's rules since she was sixteen, and, now more than ever, she didn't care.

Rayna was about to be a mother, have a family with the man she's loved since she was sixteen. She wasn't going to let anyone, not Daddy or Tandy, not Teddy, tell her how to live her life.

She swallowed hard and shook off the recent confrontation before grabbing her keys and walking out of her apartment to go to her meeting with Bucky.

 **XXX**


	5. Chapter 5

_Three weeks later_

"I think you and Deacon should go on a tour. Once he gets out, ya know? Just the two of you." Rayna's manager Bucky said, and Rayna shrugged.

"I don't know. I mean, those weeks right after rehab are when you're the most fragile, and with a baby coming and us being so up-in-the-air, I don't know if it'd be a good idea."

Bucky nodded. "Yes, but Rayna, you are at your best when you're performing together. You're about to have a baby, you'll have a lot to write about. It'll just be small venues, one-thousand seats max."

Rayna sighed. "It's a great idea, Buck, I just don't know how keen Deacon will be on the idea. I'd have to talk to him."

"Yes, talk to him. He gets out in a couple weeks, right? We could kick off as early as the end of the month."

Rayna nodded slowly and looked down at the table, smiling at her growing baby bump and rubbing her hand along it softly. "Okay. I'll talk to him."

Bucky smiled and nodded. "Great, now on to the next single: This Love Ain't Big Enough. Country radio is alerady reacting very positively to it and your fans seem to love it as well. I think this is going to be a hit."

Rayna smiled and shrugged. "What can I say? Maybe this will be my platinum baby."

 **XXX**

"You're at the point where you can find out the sex, too. If you'd like." Dr. Schember told Rayna, and she smiled wide.

"Yes, I would love to." Rayna nodded, her heart rate suddenly quickenly. Finding out if she was having a boy or girl made her that much more excited, and she wished from the bottom of her heart that Deacon was next to her to find out, too.

"Okay, so according to what I can see Rayna, you're having a baby girl." Dr. Schember said and smiled toward Rayna, who gasped.

"Really? A little girl?" Rayna asked, looking at the ultrasound screen. "There's a little girl in there." She whispered, smiling with tears in her eyes.

Dr. Schember nodded and smiled. "Yup, a girl. Who will no doubt have mommy and daddy wrapped around her little finger."

Rayna giggled and wiped the tears from her eyes, inhaling deeply and not taking her eyes off of the screen.

She and Deacon were having a daughter, and she had the overwhelming urge to tell him. He was going to be a daddy to a little girl, and Rayna for one couldn't wait to watch him love her like Rayna loved him.

 **XXX**

Rayna smiled at Lizzie when she got to the front desk, and the tiny brunette grinned widely at Rayna.

"Hello, Rayna! So good to see you again!" Lizzie stood up from her chair and leaned forward on the desk. "Let me guess: you're here to see Deacon again."

Rayna nodded with a smile on her face. "I am. Is he awake?"

Lizzie nodded enthusiastically and smiled. "Sure is! He's been bragging about his baby all morning, waiting for you to give him another picture from your doctor's appointment." The receptionist shrugged. "He's very in tune."

Rayna smiled and her heart swelled, picturing Deacon talking excitedly about his soon-to-be baby daughter.

"I can only imagine. Is it okay if I go see him?"

Lizzie nodded. "Of course, Rayna! You know where he is." She winked and Rayna smiled, turning toward the hallway and making her way to Deacon again.

When Rayna got to Deacon's room, she frowned when she saw the door was open and Deacon was not in the room. Her heart immediately sunk to her feet and her brain went to the place it always went when Deacon wasn't around.

Until she remembered what building she was standing in and the condition she was in, and how hard Deacon was working for the life growing inside of her.

She started down the hallway, remembering there being a common room at the end, and that maybe Deacon was in there. She remembered him telling her about their daily AA meetings and get togethers in the room, so Rayna assumed that's where he was.

Sure enough, when she got to the door she smiled when she caught sight of Deacon sitting next to an older man, talking animatedly when a bottle of water in his hand. Rayna just stood there and watched him until Deacon made eye contact with her and smiled widely. She saw him say something to the man next to him before standing up and practically sprinting toward her.

"Hey, baby! Gosh it's so good to see you!" Deacon exclaimed, reaching forward and wrapping Rayna in his arms, hugging her tightly. When he hugged her he could feel her protruding abdomen against his and he swallowed hard.

Deacon tried not to think about Rayna's body changing because of _his_ baby, but her full breasts and excenuated waist pressed against him made that damn near impossible.

They pulled away and Rayna placed her hands on Deacon's hips, smiling up at him. "You look great, baby. Really happy." Rayna looked him up and down, swallowing hard. _God_ , she missed him. She knw she shouldn't be haiving these thoughts, but she couldn't help it. He looked good, _really_ good.

"How you been? Get everything taken care of with Bucky?"

Rayna nodded. "Yeah, that's actuallly what I came to talk to you about. Bucky brought up the idea of a tour. Just the two of us. Wheels up will be about a week after you get out, and it'll last about six weeks."

Deacon stepped back from Rayna and nodded slowly. "Okay..."

"But I told him I'm not going to force you into anything, that I'd bring up the idea and you can think about." Rayna shrugged. "I know with you being fresh out of rehab it's going to make things hard."  
"A tour." Deacon confirmed, and Rayna nodded.

"Yeah, he thinks with the baby coming it'll fill seats. I'd hate to use her as a marketing strategy, though." Rayna trailed off, and when she saw Deacon's eyes grow wide, she realized her mistake.

"Wait, 'her' who? You don't mean-" Deacon glanced down at Rayna's belly, and Rayna giggled and bit her lip.

"Yeah, it's a girl. We're getting a daughter." Rayna nodded, placing her hands on her stomach. "I found out a few days ago."

Deacon chuckled and blew out a breath, running a hand through his hair. "A daugther. Wow." He smiled at Rayna and nodded his head. "I'll do the tour. I don't want to miss anymore of our daughter. Our _daughter._ "

Rayna smield and leaned forward to run her hand through Deacon's hair. "I'll tell Bucky. I'm so glad you want to. I'm glad you're getting better.'  
Deacon smiled and ran his hands along Rayna's stomach, and he swallowed hard. "I'm going it for you, and our little princess. You look gorgeous carrying her."

He glanced down at his hands on her stomach and felt his breath catch in his throat. All he wanted was to pull her back to his room and show her how beautiful she was, but things were really weird between them right now. He shouldn't even be thinking like this, let alone wanting to act on it.

The two of them stood just staring at each other before Rayna pulled herself out of his gaze and sighed.

"Well, I should get going, babe. It was so good to see you again." Rayna said and stood on her tiptoes to brush her lips against his cheek lightly.

"Start thinking of names for your princess." Rayna said and pulled away, turning on her heel and walking away from Deacon, throwing a wink over her shoulder.

Deacon just stood there in shock as she walked away, everything that was talked about flooding his thoughts and making him dizzy.

 **XXX**


	6. Chapter 6

"I get out of here in two days, and for once I'm feeling pretty good about it. Granted, I've felt this way my last four times, but now when I get out I have two people to fight this disease for. I have a daughter coming."

The room of people exploded in "aww"s and slight laughter, and Deacon, who was standing in front of the room behind the podium, chuckled and ran his hand along his face.

"I'm not quite sure where I'm going when I get out, what with Rayna and me bein' so up in the air and everything, but I know I'm going to be okay now. I have to be." Deacon swallowed hard and looked down at his hands on the podium. "I'm gonna be a daddy."

The room erupted in claps and Deacon nodded to them before stepping down and going to the back of the room to his seat. He sat down next to his sponsor Coleman and Cole clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Proud of you, buddy. Your girls are, too." Cole whispered, and Deacon smiled and nodded at him, breathing deeply as he watched the next person step up to the podium.

 **XXX**

"Half of these clothes probably aren't going to fit anything. I want to go as long as I could before I bought those ugly maternity clothes."

Rayna was buried in her closet, sorting through clothes to determine what she could no longer wear during and after her pregnancy.

"Well, it's going to be hard to wear these clothes much longer, considering half of your wardrobe is tight pants and mini-skirts." Tandy said from Rayna's bed, and Rayna rolled her eyes from her closet at her sister.

"Not all maternity clothes are ugly, by the way. We'll go shopping soon and I'll take you where I took Karen. Her belly looked like a runway model."

Rayna laughed and stepped out of her closer, dumping a piloe of clothes next to Tandy on her bed. "As long as I can bedazzle them, I'm sold."

The sisters sat in a comfortable silence for a while, folding clothes and making small comments about unimportant things, before Tandy cleared her throat and ran a hand through her hair.

"So, Deacon gets out tomorrow. Have you thought about where he's going to live?"

Rayna nodded. "Yeah, in his old apartment. I just cosigned on his lease last week."

Tandy looked up at Rayna and pursed her lips, giving her little sister a look they both knew too well. "He's about to be a father, Rayna; you're going to make him live away from you guys?"

Rayna shrugged. "He's going to be over all the time, and when the baby gets here I'll bring her over to his house all the time."

"Rayna, you know I'm not the most supportive regarding this situation, but we both know you can't shuttle a newborn back and forth." Tandy shrugged. "He's already missed so much, Rayna; it'd kill both of you to make him miss more."

Rayna nodded slowly and sighed. "You're right, but things are so weird between us, Tandy. I don't want to take my chances." She ran her hand along her baby bump and swallowed hard. "We'll see how the tour goes and figure it out from there."

Tandy nodded and wrapped her arm around her little sister's shoulders tightly. "I'm so proud of you, Rayna. You're sounding like a mother already."

Rayna smiled slightly and nudged Tandy before standing up and walking back over to her closer, finding more clothes to add to her pile.

 **XXX**

When the day of Deacon's release came, Rayna couldn't help but feel nervous. Sure, she'd done this four other times before, but now his-their-situation is different. He'd be coming home to a pregnant whatever-she-was, and Rayna wasn't sure what was going to happen.

Rayna blew out a deep breath as she looked up at the words on the front of the building, waiting for Deacon to come out. She'd been in the building plenty of times, but she didn't want Deacon to back out of finally leaving here for good.

She stood there waiting until the doctors swung open and Deacon walked out, duffel bag in each hand. He caught Rayna's gaze and smiled widely at her before dropping his bags and walking swiftly over to her, holding her as close to him as he could with her belly growing everyday.

The two of them stood there hugging each other for what felt like forever before they pulled away and looked up at each other.

"You look amazing, babe. Do you feel good?" Rayna asked.

Deacon nodded and smiled. "I do. I'm ready to do this. I won't let you down this time, I promise. I'm gonna do this for good this."

Rayna smiled. "Your daughter is proud of you, babe. So am I." She ran her hand along his face lovingly. "Ready to go home?"

Deacon sighed and smiled broadly. "Absolutely. Let's go."

 **XXX**

"Sorry it's not much. Once Princess gets here we'll be somewhere else. Tandy is already looking for some places."

Deacon shrugged and dropped his bag next to the couch. "It's okay, baby. Thank you for letting me stay here."

Rayna nodded. "Of course. You can take your stuff back to the back bedroom, everything's already set up for you." She watched as Deacon walked to his bedroom and swallowed hard.

Since she had known Deacon, she spent a total of six months apart from him. Now that he was living with her again, it was going to be damn near impossible to stay away from him. Especially now that she was carrying his child.

Rayna went over to sit down on the couch, leaning her head back and closing her eyes, her hand unconsiously resting lightly on her baby bump.

"You okay, Ray?"

Rayna picked her head up and smiled slightly at Deacon, who was standing in the middle of the living room with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just tired. Your daughter is taking a lot out of me." Rayna chuckled slightly.

Deacon laughed and came to sit down next to Rayna. "I feel like it's only going to get worse when she makes her appearance."  
Rayna groaned and rolled her eyes. "So I've heard. Might as well get used to it, huh?"

"So whatcha got goin' today?" Deacon asked Rayna, and Rayna shrugged and shook her head.

"Nothing, why?"

"Want to order in? Celebrate my first night home?" Deacon suggested.

Rayna bit her lip and nodded softly. "I would love that." She smiled and Deacon nodded, standing up from the couch to go order food, and Rayna watched as she walked away, swallowing hard and trying to calm her heart rate.

She and Deacon were living together, but they weren't _together_ , and this was the hardest thing Rayna's ever had to control.

 **XXX**


End file.
